


Welcome Home, Jarod

by Ekokai



Series: Welcome Home, Jarod [1]
Category: The Pretender
Genre: Capture, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-24
Updated: 2012-11-24
Packaged: 2017-11-19 10:26:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ekokai/pseuds/Ekokai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Betrayed and recaptured, Jarod finds escaping a second time will be almost impossible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Welcome Home, Jarod

Phoenix, Arizona, 0700 hours

 

The sun was pounding down on another scorching Phoenix day as Jarod peered out a third floor window of the apartment building he had called home for the last two weeks. The scene playing out on the street below was a familiar one. Miss Parker and Sydney had just left the building after finding out all they could about recent tenant, Jarod Skywalker. Now, Sydney was telling her he was going to have one more look around Jarod's lair before they left.

This was something Sydney had been doing for the last several months and Jarod had stayed around a few times to watch, wondering what the older man was up to. This time it was going to work to his advantage.

Jarod’s trackers had arrived twenty minutes earlier and interrogated the apartment manager, Ms Rhodes, who, following Jarod's instructions to the letter, had given Miss Parker the latest red notebook. Inside were newspaper clippings about this building that told how the owner was going to evict the retired, low income tenants and convert it into expensive condos. The last article told of one man, name and photo unavailable, who had uncovered the owners dirty business dealings and sent him to prison. The owner’s son had then taken over the building and given each resident a 50 year lease without increases in the rent.

Jarod smiled, picturing what Sydney must have thought when Ms Rhodes informed him Jarod was also working as a wing-walker with a local aerobatics team. Since his escape he had gone out of his way to pursue dangerous activities and make sure the news got back to Sydney.

Jarod watched, amused, while an obviously irritated Miss Parker lit another cigarette and climbed into the limo while Sydney headed back into the building. Jarod ran from the vacant apartment and up to the fourth floor where he had recently lived. He barely made it inside and into the bedroom before Sydney walked through the front door.

Sydney quietly closed the door behind him and looked around at the mess Jarod had left once again. He smiled at the familiar Pez dispenser on the coffee table next to the Archie comic books and winced when he counted the empty wrappers from 3 dozen packages of ding-dongs and 15 empty pudding packs. The last apartment he had roamed through after Jarod's departure had been filled with pizza boxes from 4 different restaurants. The one before that contained over 40 boxes of doughnuts. Sydney had been greatly relieved to discover there were only a few of the treats missing from each box.

He reached down and picked up the Mickey Mouse Pez dispenser and was not surprised to find it empty. He slipped it into the pocket of his suit jacket so he could add it to his collection back at the Centre. As he turned to leave, his attention was captured by a reflection in a mirror across the room. Sydney closed his eyes briefly and prayed that what he was about to do would not damn him to hell for all eternity.

"You should be bouncing off the walls with all of that sugar in you, Jarod, " Sydney commented as he slowly turned and sat down on the hard sofa facing the bedroom. The door creaked open immediately and Jarod stepped into the room. Sydney smiled and Jarod clenched his teeth together to keep from smiling back. He had missed Sydney but this certainly wasn't the time to admit it.

"You're looking well, despite your diet," Sydney commented warmly, looking over the lean, muscular build Jarod had developed. The urge to tell him to run was so strong, Sydney began to feel nauseous.

Jarod took a few steps closer. "Why didn't I ever get to eat anything like ding-dongs and pizza? And ice cream, too," he added earnestly. "It's very good."

As always, Jarod stood patiently, waiting for an answer and Sydney didn't have one that didn't sound ridiculous. What could he say? 'I wanted to give you a birthday cake once but the Centre would not allow it, and besides, you don't even know when your birthday is'? That would certainly bring up a whole new reason for Jarod to hate him. So, Sydney did what he had learned to do best. He ignored the question.

"You didn't stay around here, so close to Miss Parker, to ask why you were never given junk food, did you? Which, by the way, you have had quite enough of," Sydney admonished quietly, gesturing toward the empty wrappers as he fought the desire to ask Jarod if he'd been to a dentist lately.

"I had a question......and I wanted to see you when I asked it," Jarod explained, his voice uncharacteristically anxious.

Sydney felt his stomach do another flip and wondered if he was going to be the next ulcer victim. This was destined to go down as one of his least favorite days. Jarod had a frustrating habit of asking impossible questions about things Sydney was not at liberty to discuss.

"Do you remember when I told you that I knew the Russell's were not my parents?"

Sydney groaned inwardly and cleared his throat before answering. "Yes, I believe that you had your blood checked against the samples in the Centre’s computers and determined it was not a match."

Jarod was nodding, wanting to jump in before Sydney finished speaking.

"That's right because I have this anomaly in my blood that was not found in theirs. I have, however, found it in someone else's blood and I was wondering if you could tell me how it got there?"

Sydney's mind raced. Where had Jarod picked up a sample of Sydney's blood without him knowing it? He made sure his medical records were destroyed as soon as he found out Jarod was checking blood samples in the Centre’s computers against his own.

Sydney was trying to ask Jarod whose blood he had been checking when a familiar voice called from the hall, "Syd, what the hell is taking you so long?"

Miss Parker pushed the door open halfway and immediately took note of the expression on Sydney's face. In that second she knew Jarod was there. Yanking her gun from the back waistband of her pants she flung the door open and stepped into the room, clearing the threshold just in time to see Jarod's back as he left through the bedroom window.

She spun around and grabbed Sydney's arm as he rose from the sofa and yanked him toward her. Pulling his face down to hers she growled, "Get-him-now", and then pushed him out the door as she raced toward the window to follow Jarod.

Sydney ran from the apartment into the stairwell and wondered briefly if Jarod was going up or down. He remembered Ms. Rhodes telling them Jarod was performing as a wing-walker and suddenly smiled. He knew exactly where Jarod was headed.

Jarod made it across the narrow plank he had left on the roof between the two apartment buildings and had just dragged it across to his side when Miss Parker pulled herself onto the other roof. Weapon drawn, she aimed it at him and confidently demanded his immediate surrender.

He bent down and carefully laid the heavy board he was still holding onto the roof before standing to face her. This was going to be fun. Jarod wasn't quite certain why he enjoyed tormenting her so much, but lately he found himself going out of his way to do it.

"You're not going to shoot me," Jarod stated bluntly. He could almost see her blood pressure rising. To help it climb, he gave her his most charming smile.

"Don't count on it," Miss Parker sneered at him. "My orders are dead or alive. They do not...specify a preference."

"You've had quite a few chances to shoot me and you just can't do it," Jarod shook his head at her like she was an underachieving child. " As a matter of fact, I believe the only person you have ever shot is...Sydney."

"I did not shoot him!" She cried indignantly and then softened her tone. "It was an accident."

"Oh. I heard it differently but that's okay, he seems to have forgiven you. By the way, I forgot to tell you, you're welcome."

Miss Parker eyed him suspiciously and asked why. Jarod gave her an annoyingly devilish smile and replied, "For telling Broots where to find you. I bet you didn't thank him either but don't answer that now. I have to go. See ya."

Before she could register his words he was gone. It was then that she realized he had very slowly edged his way toward an enormous air-conditioning unit and was now out of her line of fire and making his escape. The door burst open on the roof a few feet from where Jarod had just been standing and three of her men charged through it.

"Great timing, you morons! Get him!" She pointed them toward the ground and yelled for Jarod to stop, knowing he was probably laughing at her yet again. Racing back to the fire escape on her building she flew down the steps faster than was safe in her typical high-priced heels.

As Jarod hit the ground running he could still hear Miss Parker yelling for him to stop and her hired muscle clambering down toward him from above. His escape already worked out, just in case, Jarod cut through the apartments pool area, hopped a fence and started down the alley toward a field where he had hidden a motorcycle. The open desert was only a mile away and there was no way Miss Parker was going to take a limo that daddy had paid for on a ride  
through mesquite trees, washes, and cactus.

Jarod was halfway down the alley and already congratulating himself on his escape when he heard pounding footsteps behind him and Sydney calling his name. Jarod glanced back, waved, and kept on running. If Miss Parker wasn't so close he would have stopped to finish his conversation, but there was time enough for that later.

He heard Sydney call again but this time he sounded different. Jarod risked one more look back and was stunned to see Sydney leaning against the alleys fence, clutching his chest. Jarod skidded to a stop and turned back toward Sydney without another thought. He was still about five yards away when the older man fell to his knees then crashed onto his back. Jarod slid on the rocky ground and dropped down next to Sydney, his hand automatically searching for a pulse.

He was relieved to find a strong, very rapid heartbeat. He was so involved in what he was doing Jarod never heard Miss Parker and the Sweepers until they had surrounded him in the otherwise deserted alley.

"Call 911, he might have had a heart attack!" Jarod yelled at the foursome as they stood watching him. Nobody moved until Jarod started to stand up. Suddenly there were four guns pointed at him, but at this particular moment, he didn't care.

"Did you hear me?" he demanded to know, on the verge of losing his temper. He looked from one stony expression to the next, settling on Miss Parker. Pointing at Sydney, Jarod shouted "He should be in a hospital."

Miss Parker looked down and lazily poked Sydney in the ribs with her toe. "Do you need to be in the hospital Syd, or just an acting class?"

Jarod’s head snapped around and he looked down at Sydney, dumbfounded as the former heart attack victims' eyes opened and one of Parkers' men helped him to his feet. Jarod stared, slack-jawed, as Sydney brushed himself off, avoiding eye contact with Jarod. This had been the second time Sydney had delivered him into the hands of the Centre but this time it was worse. This time he knew exactly what Jarod had to look forward to. Miss Parker, on the other hand, was delighted they had finally had a chance to put this old plan into action and Sydney had actually come through for her.

Jarod could hardly believe what he was seeing. Sydney had set him up. He had faked a heart attack knowing Jarod would stop to help him. He had to think fast. If he tried to run there was every possibility that someone would have the balls to shoot, if not to kill then at least to bring him down. In Florida, Parker had threatened to shoot him in the foot and then the knee. Jarod didn't want to take the chance that her choice of targets would be slightly higher this time. He could try to escape before they got back to Delaware or just wait until they were at the Centre and try to get out the same way he did last time. Surely his old benefactor would be willing to help him out again. Jarod was having an unusually hard time concentrating. Well, he couldn't run but there was some unfinished business right here.

Sydney heard Jarod say his name and looked up in time to see the fist that would knock him cold. Miss Parker looked down at Sydney and then at Jarod who was rubbing his hand. That had hurt more than he’d expected.

"I sure hope you enjoyed that enough to carry him to the car."

When Sydney regained consciousness five minutes later he was in the limo and Miss Parker was on the phone talking about Jarod.

"Yes, Dad, we'll be at the airstrip in a few minutes and we'll be at the Centre at 1400 hours. Yes," She replied slowly as she watched Sydney rub his jaw, "I think extra security would be a good idea. He wasn't exactly...cooperative."

Sydney glanced around, taking note of the guard sitting next to him in the seat facing the front of the limo, the other two guards were in the front seat, and Miss Parker had the rear-facing seat across from Sydney all to herself. Sydney leaned over slightly and asked the man where Jarod was. He cast an uncomfortable look at Miss Parker who scowled at him while still talking to her father. The Sweeper shrugged his shoulders and turned to gaze out the window. Sydney would have to wait until Parker was done. Fortunately, the call ended an instant later.

"How's your jaw, Syd?" she asked as she hung up the phone and reached for a pack of cigarettes. "I didn't think Frankenboy had it in him to hit his substitute Mommy."

"Where is Jarod?"

Miss Parker looked at him and smiled coyly . "In the trunk."

Sydney blinked and was about to ask again when he realized she was serious.

"The trunk? THE TRUNK?!" he shouted. Sydney twisted in his seat to look out the rear window at the swirls of dust the limo was leaving as it crossed onto the private airstrip 35 miles west of Phoenix. He turned and looked at Miss Parker like she was a complete lunatic.

"Are you insane? It must be over 120 degrees in there! What in God's name is he doing in the trunk?"

Miss Parked looked at him innocently and shrugged. "It was his idea," she defended herself. "Don't get mad at me." She pulled the last cigarette out of the pack in her hand but before she could get it to her mouth Sydney snatched it away from her.

"Give me that!" she snarled, making a grab for it, but he held it out of reach.

"Miss Parker," Sydney quietly asked, "what could Jarod have possibly said to make you think he wanted to ride in the trunk?"

She leaned close to him and carefully replied, "After I handcuffed him and shackled his feet together I asked if he would like to ride next to me or next to you. He said that if those were his choices he'd rather ride in the trunk." Her eyes widened innocently in a “what-did-you-expect-me-to-do” look. By now she was close enough to pluck her cigarette out of Sydney's hand. She sat back triumphantly and quickly lit it while Sydney processed the last bit of information.

"You knew, of course, that he wasn't serious." It was a statement of fact, not a question but Miss Parker felt compelled to answer.

"He's been gone a long time. Who knows what sort of strange habits he's picked up." Content, she rested her head back against the seat and blew out a satisfying, and perfectly formed, smoke ring.

Sydney shook his head in amazement. "You were such a sweet child," he muttered to himself.

If Miss Parker heard him, she ignored it. Sydney opened his mouth to demand they stop the car but they were already pulling up to the hangar and he could see the Centre jet waiting on the tarmac. As soon as the limo came to a stop, Sydney and the others climbed out and moved quickly to the back. Sydney waited impatiently as Miss Parker tore the key ring from the drivers hand and slowly sorted through it for the trunk key.

"Nope, not this one. This one's too big. This one's too small. Oh, this one's just.....no...my mistake, this is wrong too."

Sydney shuffled restlessly from one foot to the other. "Maybe I can find it," he offered, reaching for the keys. Parker jerked her hand out of his reach.

"I found it. Here he is, safe and sound" she announced happily, turning the key in the lock. The trunk popped open and Sydney looked in to find Jarod glaring up at Miss Parker.

"Very funny, " he grumbled sarcastically. "Now get me out of here."

Sydney nodded to the guards and stepped aside as two of them reached into the spacious trunk, lifted Jarod out and set him on his feet. The guard that had been riding next to Sydney, grabbed Jarod by the arm as he tried to take a step, nearly falling in the process. He was a little unsteady from the hot ride and the chains on his ankles didn't help his walking ability.

"Remove the ankle chains, Miss Parker, he's not going to escape," Sydney assured her.

She looked at Jarod who was managing to look completely innocent at the moment. Perhaps a little too innocent.

Her head lifted defiantly. "The chains stay on. I'm not losing him again. Okay, people, let's get moving," Parker ordered. She looked at Jarod and smiled knowingly. "One of us has an appointment with The Board at 1400."

Jarod felt his stomach turn but there was nothing he could do now except bide his time. He certainly wasn't going to let anyone know that he was scared to death and he was amazed that nobody else could hear his heart pounding. The sound was almost deafening. He glanced down at his feet to gauge what size steps he could take without falling as the guard kept hold of his arm and propelled him toward the waiting aircraft.

As everyone moved toward the plane, Sydney lagged behind, disappointed. Jarod hadn't even looked at him. He desperately needed five minutes alone with him to explain why he had tricked him and what he was planning. There was no doubt in Sydney's mind that Jarod could take care of himself, but he also knew what awaited Jarod if he could not lie his way out of the mess Sydney had made for him.

Everyone else had reached the plane and boarded and Syd jogged the last few dozen feet to catch up. He had no trouble imagining Miss Parker leaving without him. This was going to be a long flight.

 

The Centre  
Blue Cove, Delaware - 1350 hours

As the limo pulled through the security gate and under the cover of the side entrance to the Centre, Miss Parker cast one last disparaging look at Jarod before addressing Sydney.

"You couldn't have made him change clothes or shave during the flight? This is not the impression I wanted to make on the Board. You know they're all going to be waiting to welcome Jarod home."

Jarod made a show of looking over his ragged hiking boots, torn jeans and dirty t-shirt before looking to Sydney and speaking for the first time.

"Yeah, Syd, what are they going to think. I look like I was thrown to the ground, chained up, tossed in a hot trunk and then flown across the country against my will." Jarod shook his head dejectedly. "Not the kind of impression we want to make."

Sydney fought a smile that would have enraged Miss Parker. He enjoyed watching Jarod push her buttons but this was neither the time nor time or place to encourage aberrant behavior. He was only going to have one chance to impress The Board with Jarod before they decided what to do with him. No one had ever left and been returned to the Centre in, what some might call, 'working order'. No, this was not going to be easy.

Sydney had already been filing reports on how well Jarod had adapted to the outside world and had told The Board that these 'life experiences' would ultimately make him a better pretender. Now he just had to convince Jarod to go along with him until sufficient time had passed and The Boards interest moved on to another project. His immediate problem was getting Jarod alone so he could explain that he was trying to help, no matter how it might look at the moment.

"Well, we're here," Miss Parker happily announced as the car stopped. She looked at Jarod with a self-satisfied smile. "I'd like to say it's been fun, but this is one assignment I am glad to see the end of."

She reached for the door handle then turned back toward Jarod.

"One last thing. Until we're inside you are not considered 'delivered'. Keep in mind I was told to bring you back dead or alive. Don't try anything stupid."

Jarod's expression was all innocence. "Who? Me? I don't want you to look bad in front of dear old Dad....again. Oh, and after I'm 'delivered' you'd better have Pops sign for me. You don't want someone to say that I never arrived or that there were parts missing."

"One more word and you will arrive with parts missing," Parker shot back.

Sydney shook his head and opened the door on his side, "That's enough, you two, get out."

Jarod stepped out of the car and was immediately surrounded by Centre guards. He almost laughed. He was stiff, tired, and his manacled wrists were attached to a chain around his waist. Even though every fiber of his body screamed at him to run and not look back, he stood his ground.

Except for the day he had escaped, Jarod had only one memory of being on the outside of this building. He was 11 years old and had climbed out through a vent to see the snow. He had been so fascinated by the feel of it, the taste of it, that he hadn't heard the alarms until he was grabbed by two of the largest men he had ever seen. His adventure outside had taken place during Sydney's annual mystery vacation. Jarod blocked out the exact details of what he had endured for five days until Sydney had returned, looking for him, but the memory was hiding, just below the surface.

He knew from that day what the Centre was capable of and he fully intended to give them the answers they wanted. Jarod knew what to expect when he went through the doors in front of him. He knew what he had to say and how he had to act if he had any hope of avoiding the wrath of the Tower.

The memories were still crushing down on him but with great effort Jarod pushed them away and forced his heart rate and breathing down to normal levels. As one of the guards pushed Jarod past him to the doorway, Sydney could have sworn he heard Jarod mumble, "Never let 'em see ya sweat."

 

The group entered through a side door that led down a narrow, brightly lit hall to a large freight elevator. The only sounds to be heard were shuffling footsteps and the occasional rattle of Jarod's chains. It was that sound that bothered Sydney the most. All the while they had chased Jarod, Sydney had never imagined them bringing him back in chains. It had been easier to think that this had just been a game on Jarod's part and he would willingly return with them once he was caught.

Sydney shook his head in wonderment at his own stupidity and mumbled, 'stupid bastard'. The guard in front of him turned and gave Sydney a surprised look.

"Sorry, not you, " Syd whispered as the group arrived at the elevator where their last escort met them.

"Hi, Sam. How's the head?" Jarod asked the new man. "Did you enjoy the rest of your vacation in Florida?"

Sam, one of Miss Parker’s former sweepers, was not amused. When they had briefly captured Jarod a few months earlier, Sam had been knocked out by a friend of Jarod's, allowing him to escape. Miss Parker had given him hell for being overpowered by a five-foot tall man that was nearly twice his age. That was the last time Sam's presence had been requested. He was looking forward to his new assignment; Jarod watcher.

Sam motioned to the other guards to leave and opened the elevator door. Jarod entered without being prompted and stood against the back wall as Sydney, Miss Parker and Sam filed in and the doors closed.

Once again, Jarod felt his heart rate start to rise and quietly took a few deep breaths to get it under control again. The ride to the Executive floor was mercifully short. As the doors opened, Miss Parker reached back and took Jarod by the arm, propelling her prize catch forward. She had waited almost a year for this moment. She was returning Jarod to her father and then severing her ties with the Centre. In retrospect, Jarod escaping had been the best thing to ever happen to her. Without him as leverage, she never would have found a way out.

The double doors to her father’s office were standing open and she happily led Jarod through them and up to her father’s desk, Sydney and Sam following slightly behind.

"Hello, Jarod. Welcome home," the older man greeted him warmly. Sydney cringed, dreading Jarod’s first words. He wasn't disappointed.

"Gee, thanks, Mr. Parker. Glad to be here. I hope you didn't give my room away," Jarod responded. He felt Miss Parkers hand tighten painfully on his arm and decided not to push his luck right now. He still had plenty of time to torment her before he escaped again.

Mr. Parker was apparently not offended. He laughed heartily as he stood up and came around the desk to hug his daughter. She released Jarod’s arm as she returned her father’s unexpected embrace as she waited for his congratulations on the capture.

"Well, Jarod," Mr. Parker began, as he let go of his daughter and faced his top pretender. "I'm glad to see you have developed a sense of humor. I know you're glad to be back and can't wait to get back to work but, the board is insisting on a complete debriefing that will begin immediately."

While Jarod wondered what they had planned for him, Miss Parker had questions of her own.

"Speaking of the board, Daddy...where are they? I thought they would be here."Mr. Parker patted her hand and moved back behind his desk. "They had a little emergency to attend to and Mr. Raines unexpectedly left the building when he heard you were back."

Miss Parker had to smile at that. The last time she had spoken to Raines it was to threaten his life. He had avoided her like the plague ever since.

"Sydney, I'll assume you'll want to be present during the debriefing?" Mr. Parker inquired.

Sydney glanced at Jarod as he answered, "Of course, sir. Who will be conducting it?"

Everyone in the room froze and as raspy voice responded, "I will."

"Mr. Raines, you're back," Miss Parker heard her voice before realizing she had spoken.

Sydney saw Jarod tense as he turned to face the co-founder of the Centre.

"Did you think your little threat was going to keep me at bay, Miss Parker? Jarod has cost us a lot of time and money. I want to know firsthand what he's been up to”, Raines wheezed. He glared Sam. "Enough with the happy reunion. Take him downstairs. Now."

Jarod looked back at Sydney as Sam gave him a satisfying shove toward the open door. Mr. Raines smiled at the group.

"Coming , Doctor? Miss Parker?"

Sydney nodded and hurried to catch up with Sam and Jarod. Miss Parker turned to her father as Mr. Raines also left the room, his oxygen tank squeaking along behind him.

"What's this about a debriefing?" She asked quietly, conscious of the still open office doors. "We know everything Jarod has been doing from the red notebooks."

Mr. Parker sighed as he sat at his desk, pressing a button that automatically closed and locked the doors.

"I'm afraid my days of controlling Raines are gone, sweetheart. He has managed to get most of the board on his side and convinced them we have to make an example of Jarod."

He looked his daughter in the eyes and made a request that she didn't want to hear.

" I know our deal was your freedom for Jarod’s return but I need you to stay a little longer to make sure there are no accidents where he is concerned. I don't trust Raines and I need Jarod alive, at least for now."

"What do you mean, 'make an example of Jarod'?

"I'm not certain. Those were Raines' words, not mine. Will you stay?"

Miss Parker turned her back to her father and closed her eyes. She had been wondering how she was going to justify hanging around so she could continue her investigation of her mothers' death. Now the answer to her dilemma was placed at her feet. She could have her own way and come off as the martyred daughter, giving up her own wishes for those of her father.

"Yes, Daddy, I'll stay for a while and keep an eye on Mr. Raines. Consider it pay-back. Anything else?"

"Well, if you don't mind, there is one more person I'd like you to watch," her father replied slowly. She turned to face him.

"Who is that?"

"Sydney. I'm still not convinced he didn't help Jarod escape the first time and I do not want a repeat performance."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. Good-bye, Daddy."

Jarod frowned as the elevator neared its destination. He was starting to count up how many times he had been pushed, shoved or otherwise forcibly moved and he didn't like it.

As the elevator glided to a stop Sam stepped past Jarod and reached for the security keypad to activate the doors. At that moment Jarod took a step, 'accidentally' tripped and slammed against Sam, who then slammed into the closed doors face first. As the two men crashed to the ground Mr. Raines stood behind them shaking his head.

"Get on your feet, you idiots," Raines wheezed as he opened the doors himself. Jarod rolled onto his back and popped to his feet immediately reaching down as far as the chains allowed to offer Sam some assistance.

"Gee, I'm sorry about that. I tripped. Good thing you were there to break my fall since I couldn't put my hands out. I might have been hurt."

Sam ignored Jarod's outstretched hands and got quickly to his feet. He felt a trickle of blood begin to run from his nose and was about to wipe it with his hand when Sydney handed him a clean handkerchief. Jarod shrugged his shoulders and exited the elevator, conscious of the deadly look Sam was directing at him.

Once again Sydney caught Jarod mumbling to himself as he passed by, "A smart-asses work is never done."

 

The interrogation lasted for three days. Jarod answered hundreds of questions about where he had been, who he had been and why he had left. Sydney, Raines and Miss Parker asked questions in eight hour shifts while Sam and another man took turns at guard duty.

After the first 36 hours Sydney casually suggested they take a break and let Jarod get some rest since he had been awake for over two days and his answers were becoming somewhat disjointed. Sydney could have kicked himself when Raines came up with another solution. He brought in one of the Centre doctors and had Jarod drugged to keep him awake.

Sydney flinched and turned away as the needle slid into Jarod's arm. When Jarod was thirteen years old he made Sydney promise there would be no more simulations that involved medical experiments. Jarod had become so paranoid about needles that he had taken to hiding whenever he knew certain simulations were being run. It had always amazed Sydney how many places Jarod could find to hide without entering a restricted area. Of course, Jarod was an adult now and probably didn't mind needles at all.

Sydney had that thought for about a second. That's when he heard Jarod whisper accusingly, "Sydney, you promised."

By the start of the third day, Jarod tried to pretend he was someone else so he could detach himself from the situation, but they had expected that. Every time a question was asked they would use his name.

"Jarod, how did it feel to be a doctor?"

"Good."

"What did you like about flying, Jarod?"

"The freedom."

"Jarod, where are the DSA's?"

" I traded them for a bag of magic beans."

It was harder to be someone else when he was so completely exhausted that even the drugs were doing little to keep his mind clear. The concentration required just wasn't there. Maybe it was time to show off a few of the new tricks he had mastered.

Sydney watched Jarod's eyes as the doctor injected him with more stimulants. This was the fourth injection in the last 15 hours. Jarod had stopped responding to their questions an hour ago and they had initially thought he was suddenly being stubborn. It was only after Miss Parker noticed Jarod was not blinking that they realized he was sleeping with his eyes open.

As they waited for the shot to take affect Raines motioned to Sam who stepped forward and slapped Jarod hard across the face to wake him up.

Sydney jumped as the sound reverberated around the room. He caught himself before he yelled at the two men. He had to present himself as a trusted Centre employee, not Jarod's protector.

Sydney watched as Jarod shook his head and started to lift his hand toward the violent red mark on his cheek and then changed his mind. He would not give Sam the satisfaction.

Across the room, Miss Parker smiled. 'Good boy, Jarod,' she thought. 'Don't let that moron get to you.'

"Continue, Sydney," Raines rasped as he turned toward the door. "I'll be back."

 

It was the end of the third day when the door opened and Mr. Parker entered the room followed by Mr. Raines and his oxygen tank. Jarod could barely keep his eyes open and wondered briefly why Mr. Parker had arrived, then realized he didn't care anymore.

"Hello, Dad," Miss Parker smiled warmly and started toward her father only to stop in her tracks, puzzled, as he ignored her and turned to Sydney.

"Ask him."

Sydney made no pretense of not understanding the order. He immediately went to Jarod and stood in front of the chair.

"Jarod, look at me," Sydney ordered in his most authoritative voice. Jarod knew what was coming and had been ready with the answer since the day he had left. He raised his bloodshot eyes to meet Sydney's and waited.

"How did you get out of the Centre?"

There it was, the question they had waited to ask until the end. Jarod also waited, giving the impression he was trying to come up with a lie but failing. He let two full minutes of complete silence fill the room before he let out a defeated sigh then softly replied.

"I infected the security computers with a short-term, undetectable virus. They shut down to debug just long enough for me to slip into the visitor’s area where I hid until the last shift was passing through on their way out. The guards are always a little lax at night, you know, they just wave everyone by. Nobody noticed me and I walked out with them."

Miss Parker addressed her father again.

"We did have security in the residence wing go out that night but only for 3 minutes. We didn't find anything wrong with the system."

Mr. Parker glared at his daughter who seemed to shrink under his gaze and she sat down without another word. He whispered something to Mr. Raines and both men nodded.

"You," he began, pointing at the two guards that had followed him in. "Take him to his room and lock him in. And you, Doctor," he addressed Sydney, "I want him back at work as soon as possible. We have contracts backing up."

The two men turned and left as the guards pulled Jarod to his feet and practically carried him from the room, Sam trotting along behind them. Sydney cast a confused look at Miss Parker but she was having problems of her own. There hadn't been one word said about her bringing Jarod home since they had arrived three days ago and her father was back to treating her like a child; Someone else's child.

Sydney briefly wondered what Mr. Parker was up to and then quickly decided that was information he didn't want. It was time to get things back to normal and the best way to do that was to follow orders. He walked past Miss Parker without speaking and headed for his office to choose Jarod's first simulation.

 

Jarod awoke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. His head was pounding from the drugs and sleeping too long. He was still wearing the same clothes he had on in Phoenix and wanted a shower in the worst way. The guards had brought him to his old room, removed the chains and tossed him on his bed where he had immediately fallen asleep. For all Jarod knew, that could have been anywhere from a few hours ago to a few days.

He swung his legs off the bed and looked around. The room was dimly lit so the security cameras could watch his every move. It should have bothered him, but he had stopped caring a long time ago. Jarod knew better than to look for a clock to tell him if it was day or night. Clocks were not allowed in the residents wing or the labs. His room was underground and the only light he ever saw was artificial. When he worked simulations he would often lose track of entire weeks at a time. Jarod smiled grimly.

"Have plenty of time now," he mumbled. "Might as well start with getting cleaned up. "

As he rose from the bed every muscle in his body screamed in protest and he almost sat down again. Jarod stretched carefully, enjoying the chain-free movement, and wandered slowly across the large room and opened the top drawer of his dresser. Everything was exactly as he had left it.

He was about to pull out some clean clothes when he noticed sweat pants, a tee-shirt and running shoes stacked neatly on a chair by the door. Sighing heavily he slammed the drawer closed and reluctantly walked over to the chair. A manila folder was under the clothes and Jarod didn't have to give their contents another thought. He knew exactly what was in there. He turned toward the security camera in the ceiling and addressed whoever might be watching.

"Well, that didn't take long. I hope you won't mind if I take a shower before I go to work?"

Since there was probably nobody watching and no way for anyone to answer if they were, he decided he definitely had time for a shower. Grabbing his 'work clothes' from the chair he went into the bathroom and slammed the door, shutting out the watchful eye of the security camera.

Four levels higher, in the security surveillance room, Miss Parker swore at the monitor as she watched Jarod disappear from view. She glanced around to make sure that pesky guard had stayed out like she told him to and then reached for the control board.

"You can run, but you can't hide," she spoke aloud as she manipulated the controls. A few seconds later a new image appeared and she smiled, delighted what she saw. Yep, that new mini-camera in the bathroom had been a great idea. It was positioned to show just the right angle to conceal some 'private' moments, but it left the large, unenclosed shower as the main attraction. At the moment, she had the best seat in the house.

Jarod took his time in the shower letting the hot water soothe his aches and relieve some of the throbbing in his head. He turned, letting the water pound on his chest and run in rivers down the length of his tanned, muscular body. Without opening his eyes he grabbed the soap from the holder beside him and rubbed it in circles on his chest, arms and face before dipping his head under the water to rinse off. Turning his back to the water he lathered his hands and slowly began washing his abdomen, drifting lower as thoughts of Miss Parker invaded his mind.

He smiled, picturing the tight skirt she had been wearing the last time he saw her in the interrogation room. He had been teetering on the edge of exhaustion, ready to give in, when she had apparently decided it was warm in the room and removed her suit jacket. Her silk blouse was pulled tight across her chest as she leaned over the table to ask him a question. He didn't remember what the question had been, or if he even answered it, but he remembered the  
immediate surge of blood to his groin that made it impossible to sit comfortably.

It was the same condition he had now, but this time he could act on it. He took hold of himself with both hands, one cupping his balls as the other slid up and down on his straining shaft. He leaned back against the shower wall and spread his legs farther apart. His hand moved faster, his grip stronger as he imagined it was her hands on him, her mouth, her lips on his. His heart pounded in his ears, his lungs fighting for every breath he took. He thought about her being here with him, what she would look like naked, what she would feel like as he plunged into her. Her breath on his neck, kisses down his chest, his hands in her hair. Jarod clenched his teeth and groaned as he came in jerking waves that shot copious amounts of cum onto the opposite wall.

In the semi-dark control room there was a sudden flash of fire as Miss Parker lit a cigarette and groaned in unison with Jarod.

"I knew there was a good reason to get him back here."

Jarod turned off the water and stepped from the shower, reaching for a towel and then changed his mind. He almost smiled at the camera he had spotted the moment he stepped through the bathroom door, but that would give him away. He hoped Miss Parker was enjoying the show. A sudden chill in the room as the air-conditioning kicked on prompted Jarod to hurry and dry off. He would have to save the rest of his performance for another day.

While he was in the bathroom, someone had entered his room and left what passed for food at the Centre. By the time the guard came to take him to the lab, Jarod had reluctantly eaten a salad and a protein drink and read the file on the congressman's son that had gone for a run in the woods by his home and suddenly decided to commit suicide.

Jarod knew there would be no run through the woods for him, just some time on the treadmill while wearing a virtual reality helmet. This was the type of simulation he could have run as a child, a small test to see if he was really going to resume his role at the Centre.

Jarod was fooling around with the lab equipment when he heard the door open behind him. It closed with a solid click that was quickly followed by light footsteps. That didn't sound like Sydney, Jarod thought as he turned around. A fortyish looking woman with black hair was in the room and looking at Jarod impatiently.

"Well, I'm ready if you are," she announced. "Do it."

Jarod blinked and took a step back, remembering his recent shower, "Excuse me?"

"You've read the file, let’s get busy. I assume you remember what to do?" She asked as she sat on a stool near the treadmill.

Jarod looked around the room, certain there was some kind of mistake. Maybe he was brought to the wrong lab. "Where's Sydney?" he asked, not knowing if he even cared. The new doctor looked up and sighed heavily.

"He won't be with you anymore, " she stated bluntly. "It was decided your working relationship had been compromised. You'll be with me now."

"Oh.....great," Jarod managed to smile at her. 'Remember, you're cooperating', he told himself.

"Aren't you ready yet?"

The voice pulled him from his thoughts and Jarod nodded, "Ready".

He placed the helmet over his head and stepped onto the treadmill. As images of a forest claimed his vision he began to run. A moment later Jarod lost himself in the life of Connor Brigs, congressman's son and future astronaut with no reason to commit suicide.

 

Sydney paced his office impatiently. It had been six weeks since they had brought Jarod home and Sydney had not been allowed anywhere near him. He had, however, been keeping close track of him through his file.

Since his return, Jarod had completed nine simulations flawlessly. He had been cooperative and pleasant and had accepted every assignment without argument. Sydney groaned, shaking his head as he stopped pacing.

"Oh, Jarod.....what are you up to?" he asked the empty room.

Three floors below, Jarod stopped typing on the keyboard long enough to glance around his room. He thought for a moment he had heard Sydney asking what he was up to. Jarod smiled and went back to work. When he escaped this time it was going to be his idea and he would make sure there wasn't a Centre left to come back to. He stopped typing again and the smile faded from his lips as he remembered a conversation from the previous summer.

"Jarod, I want to talk to you. I think it's time you left us."

"Where am I going?"

"Wherever you want. I can get you out, but once you are gone there will be certain individuals that will want you back, dead or alive. It will be up to you to keep yourself safe and out of their hands. I'll do what I can to help, to let you know when they're coming, provide you with money....whatever. But, you can never, never reveal this conversation to anyone. If you are captured and brought back, I cannot help you. If you tell anyone about me...I will have you killed. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Just get me out. I'll take care of the rest."

As Jarod severed the connection between the Centre's mainframe and the 41 internet sites he had created over the last three weeks he felt someone standing behind him. He reached for the escape key but couldn't get to it before a hand grabbed his wrist and jerked his arm behind his back. Jarod tried to turn and get out of the chair but his arm was being twisted to the breaking point. He stopped struggling and immediately felt and heard the handcuffs snap onto his left wrist. Jarod reluctantly placed his right arm behind him and felt the other cuff go on.

"Is there a problem, Sam?" Jarod asked without turning around. He had wondered how long it was going to be before he had another run-in with his new shadow. Every time he left his room since his return Sam had been there. Jarod had added three more strokes to his mental tally of needless pushing on Sam's part, but had also gotten in a few good shots of his own. Jarod wondered how close payroll was to locating their missing fifty thousand dollars in Sam's account.

Jarod glanced at the computer screen where the cursor was blinking patiently on the link that would re-connect him with the last web page where he had downloaded Centre personnel records.

He tried to stand up, planning on falling against the keyboard, but the second Jarod moved Sam grabbed his shoulders and pushed him firmly into the chair, holding him there.

"What are you waiting for, Sam? Reinforcements?" Jarod asked tauntingly. Maybe he could start a fight that would land one of them against the computer.

"The reinforcements are here, Jarod," announced a familiar and unwelcome voice from the doorway. Jarod and Sam turned simultaneously.

"Mr. Raines, how nice of you to visit. I don't believe I've ever seen you in this neck of the woods," Jarod greeted him with forced enthusiasm.

"I'd show you around but I'm a little tied up right now. Maybe you could come back later," he suggested and immediately realized he had gone too far. Mr. Raines was clearly not amused. The situation did not improve a moment later when Mr. Parker entered followed by a very nervous Broots.

"Mr. Broots, see what has been keeping Jarod so busy in his free time." Mr. Parker ordered as the three men came toward Jarod’s computer.

Jarod tipped his head back, looked at Sam and whispered loudly, "I think he's going to need this seat."

As Sam released his hold, Jarod jumped to his feet, turned and tried to knock into the keyboard. Unfortunately, Broots moved a little faster than Jarod had anticipated and shielded the keyboard with his body. The only thing Jarod managed to do was make Sam look like an idiot in front of Raines again. As it turned out, that was the least of Jarod's problems.

After Jarod was pulled off to the side it didn't take the Broots long to figure out what had been done. Another hour or so and Jarod would have had his security in place and the pages would have been a permanent part of internet history and the downfall of the Centre.

As page after page of top secret Centre contracts and business dealings were pulled off the internet and the pages terminated, Jarod realized he had seriously underestimated how angry Raines and Parker could actually get.

 

Sydney heard the yelling from Jarod’s room before he had even opened the security door at the end of the hall. He ran toward the voices but before he could reach the room he was stopped cold at the sight of Mr. Parker and Mr. Raines stepping through the doorway.

This was unprecedented. No one from the Tower had ever ventured into the living quarters in the 60 years since the Centre was founded. Sydney's desire to ask what was happening was abandoned as the full effect of what he was seeing sank in. The knowledge hit him as he watched two guards struggle through the door with Jarod in handcuffs, arms pinned painfully behind his back.

Sydney's blood ran cold, knowing instantly that Jarod had indeed been playing them for fools until his luck had run out. He also knew the Tower had only one solution for this kind of problem.

"Dear, God," he whispered to himself, still unseen by his superiors, "don't let them do it."

Jarod struggled in vain against his restraints until a nod from Mr. Raines gave Sam all the permission he needed to send several forceful punches into Jarod's gut that left him doubled over and gasping for breath.

"We've had enough of this, Jarod," Mr. Parker berated him. "We gave you every chance to cooperate on your terms but this final betrayal is the end of it." Jarod coughed and gritted his teeth against the pain.

"Betrayal?" he whispered hoarsely. "You stole my life. You had me do things that ultimately caused the deaths of thousands of people. You told me my parents were dead. You kept me locked up for 32 years. All I wanted was a life of my own. A chance to make up for some of the things I've done. I wasn't hurting anyone! Why can't you leave me alone?"

Jarod fought back three decades of rage and tried to stand straight but the throbbing in his gut was too strong.

"Oh, we're going to leave you alone, all right, " Mr. Parker quickly agreed. "Maybe one day you'll beg us to let you run a simulation that will kill a thousand people or tell you how your parents died."

He nodded his head thoughtfully and smiled at Mr. Raines who nodded his head then turned and walked toward Sydney. As he walked past, Sydney reached out to take hold of his arm then thought better of it.

Mr. Raines stopped and looked from Sydney to Jarod who stood watching the meeting with anxious eyes.

"Sydney, please do something," Jarod begged, trying to take a step toward Sydney as the guards held him in place.

"Mr. Raines, I don't know what happened but surely you don't want to do this," Sydney tried to reason with the older man.

"You have no one to blame but yourself, Doctor," he admonished. "If you had kept him under control in the first place this would have never happened."

He turned his back on Sydney and, looking at Jarod, he issued his orders to the guards.

"Take him down to sub-level 26. Maybe some time in isolation will make him appreciate how nice his life up here really is."

Raines smiled wickedly at the horrified look on Jarod's face. "I see you remember your last visit. Don't plan on being rescued this time."

Jarod looked quickly at Sydney, certain he would protest the order. As the guards dragged him toward the elevators at the opposite end of the hall, Jarod called back for Sydney to help him. As the elevator doors closed, Sydney heard Jarod scream one last time.

"Sydney, help me! Please? Sydney........."

Raines turned back to Sydney and stared at him until he had the dazed man's attention. "If you see him, talk to him, pass a note, or otherwise make contact with him...he will die," he promised in a slow, labored voice.

"Please, " Sydney begged, "you've already killed Jacob. Jarod's the only family I have left."

"You should have thought of that before you offered him to us when he was a boy. What would Emily say if she knew how you faked her son's death in exchange for a lifelong research project? Did Jacob ever know that his nephew was one of your experiments?" Raines asked coldly before walking away, the wheels on his oxygen tank squeaking . Mr. Parker followed closely behind, refusing to acknowledge Sydney's pleading eyes.

Sydney leaned heavily against the wall, willing his body to remain standing. This day could not get any worse, he thought. He was wrong. A familiar footstep made him turn and behind him stood Miss Parker. He knew from the look on her face she had seen and heard everything.

"You, bastard," she growled fiercely, taking another step toward him.

"You're his uncle? You delivered him to the Centre and helped keep him prisoner all this time, knowing who his parents were and that they were alive and they thought he was the one that was dead? I could kill you right now and never give it a second thought."

Sydney looked into her eyes and could see the swirls of hatred that reached through her soul.   
"Before you kill me, could I ask a favor?"

Miss Parker pulled a small gun from her pocket and released the safety. "A last request? Sure, but make it good."

"Help me get him out of here alive."

 

Continued in: Unlikely Allies

**Author's Note:**

> This was the first of over 30 Pretender fics that I would write way back in 1997-98.


End file.
